By Lori BODNAR

Charles Tucker, 97, is a WWII veteran in the CV community. He recently had the opportunity to soar to new heights in a N2S Boeing Stearman biplane. Sponsored by the Dream Flights Foundation, Tucker flew with pilot Michael Sommars for the adventure of a lifetime in the tandem open cockpits of the N2S Boeing Stearman biplane above Whiteman Airport in Pacoima.

Dream Flights is a non-profit organization located in Carson City, Nevada that provides open-air flight experiences to senior military veterans across the country to honor and give to those who gave and served the United States. It was created in 2011 by Darryl and Carol Fisher. In addition to providing this novel way of thanking veterans for their service, Dream Flights also collects and preserves the stories and memories shared by the WWII veterans as a way to connect and remember their sacrifices and survival during times of great strife, according to its website.

Tucker served in the military during World War II and also during the Korean War. In WW II, he was a tail gunner in a B-25 in the Army Air Corps. Tucker served in the China-Burma-India (CBI) Theater in Southeast Asia as a staff sergeant. (A theater is a geographic area where important military events occur.) Tucker also served during the Korean War in the U.S. Air Force as an officer and a navigator. He eventually retired from the Air Force Reserves as a lieutenant colonel. He has been a member of the local American Legion Post 288 for more than three years.

Dick Clubb, a member of American Legion Post 288 and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 1614, said, “The Dream Flights program is open to all World War II veterans and not just to VFW members. The California Dept. of the Veterans of Foreign Wars contacted each VFW Post to submit names of any World War II veterans who would like to participate in the flights. We contacted over a dozen of our VFW members and other WWII veterans. The flights are given as a reward to veterans for their service.”

Tucker’s flight through the Dream Flights program was a once in a lifetime event and given as recognition of his service to his country.

The Dream Flights Foundation launched Operation September Freedom (#OptSeptFreedom) on Aug. 1, 2021 and ended Sept. 30 celebrated WWII veterans by taking them on a Boeing Stearman double open-air cockpit biplane. The Boeing Stearman aircraft was used because of its familiarity to many of the passengers; it is the same aircraft used to train aviators during WWII.

Dream Flights has provided no-cost flights to more than 4,200 veterans and seniors living in long-term care communities. During this year’s #OptSeptFreedom, a total of 891 WWII veterans were taken on free Dream Flights in just 61 days.

Those who would like to support the Dream Flight mission or know of a WWII veteran who should be honored by a Dream Flight adventure of a lifetime can contact Dream Flights (formerly known as Ageless Aviation) through their webpage https://dreamflights.org or Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/DreamFlightsOrg.